The Saxony-Anhalt police registered more antisemitic crimes in 2021 than in the previous 20 years. Since 2019, the year in which a right-wing terrorist killed two people in Halle, the numbers have risen by more than 20 percent every year. According to the Ministry of the Interior, this also shows that it has been possible to further illuminate the dark field.
- The majority of antisemitic crimes in Saxony-Anhalt are cases of incitement to hatred.
- Most crimes were counted in the two largest cities in the country, the fewest in the Stendal district.
- The Research and Information Center for Antisemitism (RIAS) in Saxony-Anhalt also records antisemitic incidents that do not appear in the police statistics.
In Saxony-Anhalt, 111 antisemitic crimes were recorded last year. This means that the number of criminal offenses has risen by around 28 percent compared to the previous year, and is at the highest level in the past 20 years. This is the result of the statistics on “politically motivated crime” (PMK) from the Saxony-Anhalt police. According to the police, the crimes registered in 2021 were mainly incitement to hatred (53 percent), propaganda offenses (14 percent) and property damage (13 percent).
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the antisemitic crimes recorded up to the third quarter of 2022 had only increased by a few cases compared to the previous year. The vast majority of antisemitic crimes registered in 2022 were incitement to hatred, property damage and insults.
